PREFACE vii 



unquestioned, whose experience was unrivalled; 

 and it is no exaggeration to say that he himself 

 could not be described more truthfully than in 

 the three words that I have chosen to adorn the 

 cover of this work. 



I am bound to admit that to the minds of 

 casuists and hypercritics " The Complete 

 Sportsman " may appear to be an intentionally 

 misleading title for a volume in which certain 

 popular sports are not touched upon at all. 

 It is indeed true that the reader may search in 

 vain throughout this work for any mention of 

 polo, of deep -sea shrimping, or of billiards. But, 

 after all, life is short ; it is as well to leave some- 

 thing to the imagination of the reader, and if a 

 popular demand should arise for further en- 

 lightenment upon these omitted subjects it will 

 always be possible (and perhaps profitable) to 

 supplement the present volume with another of 

 a similar nature dealing with any sports that do 

 not happen to be treated in these pages. 



It may be considered that some explanation 

 is due from the editor to the reader in order to 

 account for the presence of the final portion of 

 this book, which might well have been labelled 

 " Appendix," but which I have chosen to insert 

 under the more ingenuous heading of " Padding." 

 To try and explain this would take too long; it 

 will be sufiicient to say that this particular 



